Podcast
Questions and Answers
A prologue is typically found at the end of a play.
A prologue is typically found at the end of a play.
False
A pun is a type of poetic stanza.
A pun is a type of poetic stanza.
False
A soliloquy is when multiple characters speak their thoughts and feelings simultaneously.
A soliloquy is when multiple characters speak their thoughts and feelings simultaneously.
False
In Shakespearean plays, the chorus is a single figure who speaks before each act.
In Shakespearean plays, the chorus is a single figure who speaks before each act.
Signup and view all the answers
All comedies, regardless of era, are intended to be humorous.
All comedies, regardless of era, are intended to be humorous.
Signup and view all the answers
Aristotle defined tragedy as a form of drama that always has a happy ending.
Aristotle defined tragedy as a form of drama that always has a happy ending.
Signup and view all the answers
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is classified as a comedy.
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is classified as a comedy.
Signup and view all the answers
Choruses are commonly found in modern plays.
Choruses are commonly found in modern plays.
Signup and view all the answers
A Midsummer Night's Dream is classified as a tragedy.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is classified as a tragedy.
Signup and view all the answers
Macbeth is classified as a comedy.
Macbeth is classified as a comedy.
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Drama Terms
- Drama: A work designed to be represented on a stage by actors, often dealing with a problem of importance.
- Dramatic Form: The organization of a script, including speaker identification, speech, and stage directions.
Play Structure
- Dramatis Personae: A list of characters in a play, provided at the beginning of the script.
- Act: A chunk of action in a play, often divided into scenes.
- Scene: A division of action within an act, noted with a small Roman numeral.
- Line: A single line of writing in a play, noted with Arabic numbers.
Literary Devices
- Pathetic Fallacy: An artistic device where nature reflects a character's feelings or the mood of the events.
- Stage Direction: A direction by the playwright to the actors, indicating how to speak and/or move during a particular line or scene.
- Monologue: An extended speech by a single speaker, revealing their personality and significant events in their life.
Dialogue and Irony
- Dialogue: Spoken exchanges between two or more speakers in a play.
- Dramatic Irony: When a character says something, but the audience knows more than the character does, creating a double meaning.
Verse and Relief
- Blank Verse: Unrhymed iambic pentameter, commonly used in Shakespeare's plays.
- Comic Relief: A humorous scene or incident in an otherwise serious drama, providing laughter as a release from tension.
Play Introductions and Endings
- Prologue: An opening section of a longer work, establishing character, theme, action, or setting.
- Chorus: Originally a group of masked male dancers who sang or chanted, later reduced to a single figure, often speaking the prologue.
Other Terms
- Soliloquy: A character speaking their true thoughts and feelings while alone on stage.
- Pun: A play on words with multiple meanings.
- Tragedy: A drama exciting pity and/or fear, often with a reversal of Fortune, providing catharsis.
- Comedy: A literary work, especially a play, with a happy ending, often containing misunderstandings and mistaken identity.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
Quiz about the basics of drama, including definitions and forms of dramatic writing.
